Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu expects that he’ll have the support of Turkish fans over Man City’s Ilkay Gundogan in the Champions League final.
Speaking in a press conference, as reported by FCInterNews, the 29-year-old expressed confidence that the Turkish supporters will back him.
The fact that tomorrow’s Champions League final is in Istanbul is something of a happy coincidence for Calhanoglu.
The former AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen is captain of the Turkish national team.
Therefore, he will be very familiar with the environment that the Nerazzurri are heading into.
Calhanoglu was born in Germany, but chose to represent Turkey on the international stage. On the other hand, Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is a German international.
Nevertheless, Gundogan enjoys a strong connection to Turkey due to his family background. Despite Gundogan wearing the Germany shirt, Turkish fans feel a lot of affection for him.
From the perspective of Calhanoglu, however, he expects that he’ll be the one to receive more of the Turkish fans’ support.
Inter Milan Midfielder Calhanoglu: Turkish Fans Will Support Me Over Gundogan
Speaking to reports, the Inter midfielder left no doubt about what he expects.
“Playing in Istanbul is different for me,” he said.
“I want to enjoy the moment because I don’t know if it will happen again.”
“We will give our best for this,” Calhanoglu. “We know Gundogan well, but he plays for Germany. I think my fans will cheer for me.”
“And I will give everything.”
“I’m proud to play here in my country,” Calhanoglu said. “I’m sure the fans here will support me.”
“I hope that as a Turkish player I can lift that trophy, and maybe even score,” Calhanoglu added.
“We know it won’t be easy, City are a very strong team, but we can do it.”
Asked about whether he’s spoken with Gundogan, Calhaboglu replied “No, but I admire him a lot.”
“He plays for Germany, I play for Turkey. His decision is one that I respect.”
He noted that “It’s important that there are two Turks in the final.”
Of being in Istanbul, Calhanoglu said that “My teammates asked me about what the atmosphere would be like.”
“It’s a city with sixteen million people, I tried to explain the kind of city it is, what the atmosphere is like.”
